


so, so stupid

by hrtbnr



Category: Cow Chop
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-09
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-03-28 22:17:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13913316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hrtbnr/pseuds/hrtbnr
Summary: amazon prime time is stupid, aleks is stupid, james too, and especially brett.





	so, so stupid

**Author's Note:**

> hey let’s be tumblr friends @hrtbnr

“You’re really… so, so stupid.” 

“Thanks, dude. Thanks a lot for that.” 

The thing is, everyone likes James. Even the people who kind of hate him begrudgingly think he’s an okay guy, or funny, or they respect him at the very least. They like his dog. It’s always something.

For the better part of ten years, Aleks has witnessed a lot of fucking people give James their loyalty unasked, without a hint of hesitation. He’s got almost impossibly high standards - to work as hard and as often as you’re capable, to do the right thing, to be good when you can, to be strong when you have to - and he inspires people to live up to them. It never seems like he tries to, it’s just a byproduct of being around him. James makes people better just because he knows they can be.

And yeah, okay, maybe Brett has a point. Maybe Aleks is a little so, so stupid. But everyone really does like James; it doesn’t make Aleks special. 

“Do you hear yourself? Like, when you speak about him, do you even hear the words that you’re saying?” 

Lindsey, who’s sitting next to Brett in their dumb swivel chairs, nudges her foot against his and they share a look and laugh at Brett’s funny, hilarious quip. Laugh at Aleks who’s standing in front of them, hand on his hip, trying to sound angry but only managing whiny baby. He takes a deep breath. Removes his backwards hat then puts it on again. Shifts his weight to his left foot. 

“I hear them!” Trevor shouts from across the warehouse. “It always sounds pretty gay.” 

“Shut the fuck up,” Aleks barks back at him, so, so close to stomping his foot. Or launching himself across the room to punch Trevor in his kidney. 

All of this is happening because Aleks has a piece of shit body dedicated to betraying him at every opportunity. Like when James springs a bit on him during Amazon involving a too-small plastic novelty ring and a down-on-one-knee marriage proposal, and Jakob laughed for ten whole minutes while editing at how red Aleks’ traitorous face was. At his stupid fucking dopey smile, holding his hand out, the ring unable to get past his second knuckle, as if taking a photo for their engagement announcement. 

Because Jakob look a screenshot of it and texted it to everyone in the office, even James, saying “Look how happy this bitch is” with ten pink double heart emojis bracketed by shooting stars.

Because Aleks works with assholes. Every single one of them. No exceptions. 

“Except James,” Lindsey says solemnly. “Who makes Aleks want to be a better man.”

“I didn’t fucking say that!” 

“Did you have to though?” Brett says, squinting and grimacing up at Aleks as he pushes his chair towards the office. “It seemed implied. For the last nine hundred years. Like, we get it. Your thirst is also deep and meaningful. Message received, buddy.” 

By the time Aleks grabs one of the nearby squiggly cups to bean Brett in his big, stupid head with, he’s already gone in his office. The vacated chair still spinning. Which is probably for the best anyway. James hates when they fuck with his squiggly cups. 

“We don’t really think you’re stupid,” Lindsey says kindly, rolling back to her desk and starting to pack up for the day. “But sometimes you’re not very smart.” 

“How’s that not the same thing?” Aleks huffs, putting back the fucking cup. “That sounds like the same exact thing.” 

Instead of answering Lindsey just stares at him for a long moment, like, this is exactly what I’m talking about. It lasts until she gets up, shoulders her bag, and kisses him on the cheek as she passes on her way out. 

He’s not wrong - he’s fucking not - everyone does like James. But Brett isn’t wrong either. It’s different and has always been different. Aleks knows him better, has seen him at his best and absolute, mindblowingly worst, and the way he feels about him has never changed. Not once. It’s gentle in ways Aleks wishes it wasn’t, even when James is rough and obnoxious and downright terrible. Even when they’re fighting, even when Aleks hates him, he always loves James. 

For years he tried so fucking hard to love him the same way he loves Joe or Trevor or Brett. Wanted to look at James from the other side of the office, couch, the long hallway between their bedrooms when they lived together, and not think of the sharp draw to close the distance between them. Because all jokes, all the bits, the novahd hashtags, all that aside, it’s a monumentally bad idea to fall in love with someone who not just won't, but can’t, love you the same way. 

James has never said he’s straight but Aleks has never outright said that he himself isn’t. They’re unsaid things, unnecessary to address common fucking knowledge. James likes women and Aleks likes everyone, and that’s the goddamn end of it. 

He’s still standing there like a idiot when Trevor’s suddenly behind him, saying, “I think like, she means the difference between being smart and being, you know, wise. Like, wisdom, dude.” 

“Trevor, what the fuck? Why are you talking to me right now?”

When Aleks turns to him, Trevor’s fidgeting with the straps of his backpack and gives a big, exaggerated shrug. 

“It was kind of a weird bit for James, wasn’t it? It’s been a while since he’s done any kind of shit like that. With, you know, that fake flirting stuff.”

Has it? Aleks can’t remember. But it does seem like it’s been a minute or two since someone’s commented “GAY novahd confirmed” with a timestamp. 

“He’s back on his bullshit. What the fuck does that matter?” 

Trevor gives him the same unimpressed look Lindsey shot his way and he makes a promise to himself to keep them the hell away from each other, forever. 

Aleks watches through narrowed eyes as Trevor sighs and pulls out his phone, saying, “Your face was really funny when he proposed to you.”

“Can you please eat shit, Trevor?” 

Ignoring him, Trevor doesn’t look up from his phone until he’s done and hears the corresponding four text message alerts from Aleks’ pocket. “You should see some of his.” 

Trevor leaves without a goodbye as Aleks opens up his messages, drifting over to plop down at his desk before his fucking knees give out or some gay ass bullshit like that. There’s not many words to describe the way James is looking at him in the screenshots. Affectionate, maybe. Fond. Happy. 

There’s a soft smile on his face and a weird something in his eyes. It reminds Aleks of sleepy James, when he’s comfortable and a little loopy from exhaustion. Like running into him in the kitchen at three in the morning, bumping into Aleks, half asleep, and the warm laughter that always followed. It’s an overwhelming calmness that seeps into Aleks’ bones. 

“Oh,” he breathes, scrolling through the pictures again.

“Yeah, no shit, oh,” Brett says, leaned against the doorframe of his office. “You’re really… so, so stupid. But so is he. Probably stupider.”

“That’s something,” Aleks says, and there’s an embarrassingly giddy laugh threatening to spring out of him. His chest rumbles with it. 

“That’s fucking something,” Brett says, gesturing to Aleks’ phone. “Can you please, for the love of God, do something about it? It’s been years, Aleks, we’re all tired and dying.”

Aleks can’t stop the smile that breaks across his face, so big, his eyes scrunching so much he can’t see Brett or his phone anymore. “You’re not all fucking with me, right? Brett. Seriously, man, do you actually know something or -.”

“Jesus Christ,” Brett groans. “Go to his fucking house and grab him by his fucking face and kiss him and I promise, I assure you, you have my fucking word, James will kiss you back.”

Aleks stands and fumbles with his phone before managing to pocket it, grabbing his keys and holding them so tight the sharp edges dig into his palm. 

“I -“

“Please don’t speak anymore. Just go. And don’t ever tell me what you two do together. I never, ever, Aleks, I’m serious, I never want to hear about it. That’s how you repay me. How you repay all of us. Both of you shutting the fuck up already.” 

It takes five minutes before Aleks stops excitedly shaking enough to drive. It takes way longer than it should, because Los Angeles is a fucking glittery nightmare, to get to James’ place. But when he does, Aleks does what Brett told him to do. He grabs James by his face, his fucking face, that Aleks loves more than any other thing in the world, and kisses him. 

And Ein barks, jumping up to dig against the back of Aleks’ legs. 

And James - James fucking laughs, and breathes Aleks’ name around it, and fucking kisses him back.


End file.
